Tomorrow, September 30th, is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada. Many will wear orange. This has become a symbol to remind of and to acknowledge, “the harm caused by residential schools to generations of Indigenous families and communities.” I want to include here the true story of what is behind the wearing of orange shirts on September 30th. It is the experience of Phyllis Jack of Dog River, British Columbia. “Phyllis went to the Mission school for one year. She was 6 years old. Her family never had very much money, and there was no Social Assistance, but somehow her granny managed to buy her a new outfit to go to the Mission school. She remembers going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had eyelets and lace, and she felt so pretty in that shirt and excited to be going to school! When she got to the school, they stripped her, and took away her clothes, including the orange shirt! She never saw it again, except on other kids. She didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to her, it was hers! Since then the colour orange has always reminded her of that. She says, “her feelings didn’t matter, and no one cared how she felt like she was worth nothing”. Now, she finally gets, that the feeling of worthlessness and insignificance, ingrained in her from her very first day at school, affected the way she lived her life for many years. Even now, knowing nothing could be further from the truth, she still sometimes feels that she doesn’t matter. She is honoured to tell her story so that others may benefit and understand, and maybe other survivors will feel comfortable enough to share their stories. She says, “I want my orange shirt back!” Phyllis’ orange shirt is a symbol of so many losses experienced by those who were sent to Residential Schools over several generations. Losses of family, culture, language, freedom, parenting, self-esteem, and worth were experienced by everyone. September 30th Orange Shirt Day is an affirmation of a commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.” My reflection is that it is easy for us to wear an orange shirt and it is even easy for us to pray for Truth and Reconciliation. It is much harder to engage actively in work that will help to bring Truth and Reconciliation. Scripture from Micah 6:8 challenges us every day, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I am inviting you to pray with me on our weekly WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow Sept. 29th at 1 pm that we will respond to what the LORD requires of us in what it means to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.
Thank you for your willingness to pray and to care about what the LORD requires of us, Pastor Lola
Our God, You are a God of justice and mercy. You are a God of truth and reconciliation. We see injustice all around us. We pray that you will inspire and move us to act justly. Today we are praying specifically for the truth that has long been overlooked or denied, to be acknowledged in the history of residential schools. We pray for those who were treated as if they did not matter. We pray for every child and family and community affected by this injustice and pray for what acting justly looks like in response to what we now know. We pray that our faith in You as a God of justice will guide us to act justly. Thank you that acting justly is something that we can determine in cooperation with others. We are grateful our God for all those being moved to act justly and pray that the recognized importance of this pursuit will not diminish with other pressing concerns mounting. And God You have shown us over and over that You love mercy. We have experienced your constant mercy. We pray that You will extend your mercy through us. We consider those who carry the scars of the ways that they have been mistreated and disregarded. For our failure to show a love for mercy for those who have been wounded, we ask for forgiveness and we pray for Your mercy to reshape us. We want to respond with a love for mercy that does reflect Who You are. God, far too often we have been ensuring our own comfort and well being and have not considered the well being of others. We have not insisted on truth coming to light. We admit that sometimes we have felt unsure what we would do with the truth if it did come to light. We pray that rather than ignore the truth of the devastating affect of residential schools that we will be willing to listen. Thank you God that listening positions us to see and hear what has not registered before. We recognize that with knowing comes responsibility. How do You want each of us to step into places of need as we respond to the residential school tragedy? We pray that where churches and those who called themselves Christians have been perpetrators of evil that churches and those who carry Christ’s Name will now be known as those who insist on truth and reconciliation. We pray for the initiatives for reconciliation to come from our Indigenous communities. Where we still have blind spots regarding cause and effect, we ask God that You will correct our vision to see accurately, as You are inviting us to see and to admit and follow through with what is required. In schools where this will be talked about and acknowledged, we pray for the conversations that students and teachers will have. May there be steps closer to mercy and closer to Your ways. We cannot pretend to understand the extent of the damage caused by residential schools. In our desire to live what you require of us Lord, we pray that You will keep us walking humbly with You our God. May awareness result in love and compassion and healing. In The Name of Jesus Who is all about truth and reconciliation. AMEN.